Essential Poetry Terms: Forms, Devices, and Meter

Poetry Reference Tables: Forms, Rhyme, and Structure

Common Types of Poem (Forms)

• Diamante: A 7-line, diamond-shaped poem that follows a pattern using specific parts of speech.
• Haiku: An unrhymed poem consisting of 3 lines and 17 syllables (5, 7, 5). It typically describes something in nature.
• Acrostic: The first letters of the lines of this poem spell out the topic or title of the poem.
• Cinquain: An unrhymed, 5-line poem. Each line has a set number of words or syllables and a specific function.
• Couplet: A pair of lines that rhyme. It may be complete in itself or may be part of a longer poem.
• Limerick: A humorous 5-line poem, often consisting of 13 beats, following the AABBA rhyme scheme.
• Quatrain: A 4-line poem. Common rhyme schemes include AABB, ABAB, ABBA, or ABCB.
• Clerihew: A funny, 4-line poem about a real person, following an AABB rhyme scheme. The first line includes the person's name.
• Five Senses Poem: A poem shaped like a triangle, using sensory words to describe its subject.
• Autobiographical Poem: A 10-line poem where the writer expresses personal thoughts. Also called "personal poetry."

Key Poetry Forms by Line Count

Specific line counts for common fixed-form poems:

• Haiku: 3 lines
• Limerick: 5 lines
• Nonet: 9 lines
• Sonnet: 14 lines
• Tanka: 5 lines (often 5, 7, 5, 7, 7 syllables)

Additional Forms of Poetry

A selection of various poetic structures:

Abecedarian, Acrostic, Anaphora, Bop, Cinquain, Diamante, Epic, Fable, Ghazal, Limerick, Haiku, Nonet, Monody, Pantoum, Quatrain, Rondel, Septolet, Song, Sonnet, Tanka, Triolet, Sedoka, Cento.

Historical Poetic Eras Timeline

• Old English
• 350 BC: Aristotle's Poetics
• Renaissance
• Augustan
• 17th Century
• Romantic
• Georgian

Stanza Definitions

A stanza is a group of lines of poetry in a poem.

• Couplet: 2-line stanza
• Triplet: 3 lines
• Quatrain: 4 lines
• Quintet: 5 lines
• Sestet: 6 lines
• Septet: 7 lines
• Octave: 8 lines
• Nine-line stanza
• Ten-line stanza

Types of Rhyme

• End Rhyme: Rhyme occurring at the end of the line.
• Feminine Rhyme: A rhyme involving multiple syllables (usually two), where the final syllable is unstressed.
• Internal Rhyme: Rhymes occurring inside the lines of poetry.
• Masculine Rhyme: A rhyme involving only the last syllable of the words.
• Sight Rhyme (Eye Rhyme): Words that look like they should rhyme but do not (e.g., love/move).
• Slant Rhyme (Near Rhyme): Words with similar but not identical sounds (e.g., bank and take).

Rhyme Schemes

• Blank Verse: Metered verse (usually iambic pentameter) with no rhyme scheme.
• Couplets: Two lines rhyming in pairs (AA BB CC).
• Crossed Rhyme (Alternating Rhyme): An ABAB pattern.

Poetic Devices and Figurative Language

• Alliteration: The repetition of initial consonant sounds in close proximity.
• Allusion: A reference to a known person, place, thing, or event.
• Repetition: Repeating sounds or words for emphasis.
• Simile: A comparison using "like" or "as."
• Onomatopoeia: A word or expression that duplicates a sound.
• Metaphor: A direct comparison that adds meaning without using "like" or "as."
• Personification: Giving human traits to non-human objects or ideas.
• Refrain: A repeated portion of a poem, usually at the ends of stanzas.
• Echoing: Repetition of words throughout the poem.
• Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds within words.
• Imagery: Language that appeals to the senses.
• Rhyme: Similarity of end sounds between words.
• Cacophony: Harsh, discordant, or sudden sounds used for effect.

Metric Units (Feet per Line)

Terms describing the number of metrical feet in a line of verse:

• Monometer: 1 foot
• Dimeter: 2 feet
• Trimeter: 3 feet
• Tetrameter: 4 feet
• Pentameter: 5 feet
• Hexameter: 6 feet
• Heptameter: 7 feet
• Octameter: 8 feet